General Science

These are the main objectives:

I. Climatology

            Identify the factors that produce the climate of a given area.

            Discuss how climate varies over time, including human impacts on the climate.

II. Weather: Elements and Forecasting

            Discuss the formation of fronts.

            Relate fronts to low and high pressure areas.

            Using a weather map, predict the weather for the next two days.

III. Glaciers and Ice Ages

Identify and describe glacial features on the landscape as well as other evidence

for glaciation.

            Outline the causes of Ice Ages.

IV. Landforms

            Given a cross section of rock, outline its geologic history.

            Use the rock cycle to explain changes in the earth’s surface.

            Illustrate landscape features caused by erosion and deposition.

V. Plate Tectonics

            Analyze evidence that supports the theory of plate tectonics.

            Describe the location and characteristics of earthquakes and volcanoes.

VI. Stars and Galaxies

            Given data, plot stars on the H-R diagram and use this to explain a star’s

characteristics and evolution.

            Describe galaxies.

            Outline the Big Bang Theory, with supporting evidence.

VI. The Solar System

            Illustrate the Nebular Hypothesis about the origin of the solar system.

            Give brief data about each of the planets, comets, asteroids.

            Illustrate sun, earth, and moon relations such as eclipses.

Graded items are worth a specific number of points as well as having some difficulty level assigned, i.e., assignments requiring independent thought and work are worth more than labs done in class.